Welcome to the Family (A Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Fanfic)
by LadyYunaFFX2
Summary: A young, ambitious freelance assassin has taken it upon herself to kill the leader of the Varia family, Xanxus. But what happens when her mission actually backfires against her? Rated M for: Torture, swearing, possible sexual content. All characters listed are ones that will be primarily focused on. Thus, they are not necessarily whom the OC ends up with. Read at your own risk
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

Isabella Marie Valrayne had been used to challenges. They tended to come in the form of various assassination jobs that many people would deem to be insane for anyone to accept.

"Then again," she muttered, raising a pale hand and weaving it through her crimson locks, "You yourself have never really been normal."

The statement which had passed her lips was but the truth. Even her childhood and teenage years had been full of multiple incidents. Few people would likely be able to understand her background and even less ever tried to comprehend her in the first place.

That plus her upbringing of sorts had indeed helped form Isabella into the eighteen year old woman she was as of now.

Her head shook as the freelance assassin forced herself to return to reality. She glanced from side to side, allowing her onyx orbs to aid her in double checking that she had everything she would need on her. Sure enough, Isabella had all she needed; a silenced pistol attached to her right hip, a sniper rifle strapped across her back, plenty of spare ammunition, and dark clothes which she was already wearing.

"Good," she gently mumbled, "You're all set then."

Yet despite this, her heart was already racing. It seemed as if an adrenaline rush was trying to form then and there even though she hadn't begun heading to her destination.

Does this mean you're actually nervous then? she mused before scoffing at the thought and rolling her eyes at herself.

"Nonsense. You have no reason to be ..."

Or so she tried to convince herself. Even still, there was a nagging feeling which screamed and even begged for Isabella not to do this job.

She shook her head once more before exhaling deeply. Finally, she stood up off her bed, simultaneously reaching her full height of five feet ten inches in mere moments. After allowing herself a few, brief moments to look at her reflection in a nearby mirror, a smirk crossed Isabella's lips.

"Here we go then."

And with that, the young assassin turned on her feet and began walking towards the Varia base. It was where her target, Xanxus, supposedly resided.

Even though no one had asked her to kill him, Isabella felt it was the right thing to do. She'd firmly believed this ever since she learned about the Cradle Affair, along with gaining the knowledge that a man named Tyr used to be in charge.

The resolve in her dark onyx eyes seemed to strengthen as her steps quickened. Never once did Isabella halt or turn around. If anything, she hurried towards the Varia base, seeming more eager and determined to begin and complete her mission.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

During the entire walk to Varia's base, Isabella's mind was quickly racing with possible what-if scenarios and answers to said situations. While she didn't plan for anything to go horribly wrong, it would be foolish of her - particularly as a trained hitwoman herself - to not make such preparations. There had been many jobs in the past she had done which, although had successful results, had been performed in a very sloppy manner.

Thankfully, she had grown up a lot since those days. Still, Isabella could make mistakes and miscalculations at times, even when she tried to have everything go perfectly. This mission was no exception.

Within about half an hour, Isabella had arrived. One quick look at the dark sky suggested it was around 21:30 PM.

Perfect. The other members should be occupied somehow.

After finding a suitable tree, Isabella climbed up it with relative ease. Hefting the rifle from her back, she then used the scope as a makeshift pair of binoculars.

A silver haired man first came into view, whom seemed to be arguing with a very tall man with black hair. According to her lip reading skills, it was on ... who had to do the dishes?

 _... Really?_ Isabella couldn't help but smirk at the rather immature display and let her scope move after indulging herself for a few more minutes.

By the time she finally did find Xanxus, he was alone in his quarters. In his hands was a book though the look in his eyes hinted it was losing his interest.

 _That's fine,_ Isabella mused, _You still have more than enough time_.

While keeping a firm grip upon the rifle, Isabella began adjusting her aim, halting when she had a clear shot on his heart. With everything set and ready, Isabella's right index finger rested against the trigger, awaiting for the perfect opportunity to arrive.

Seconds before she pulled on the trigger, an abrupt voice caused her to jump and mess up her aim. An eerily calm and young voice simply asked, "So ... whatcha doing up there, huh?"

Isabella gave no verbal answer and narrowed her eyes angrily as she saw Xanxus grunt in pain. He was, of course, alive though her bullet did appear to do quite the amount of damage to Varia's boss.

By the time Isabella considered retorting to the voice below her, she felt he had become too impatient and joined her in the tree as the dagger against her throat hinted.

"Awww. Don't you know it's mean to ignore people? May I see what you were doing now? Please?"

Isabella gripped her lower lip with her teeth, not bothering to hide the irritated look her onyx orbs now held.

 _Fuck! I didn't think they had people who were this fast._

Clearly this had been Isabella's first mistake. It seemed that even while she had hacked into Varia's database and looked up Xanxus and his "inner circle" as it were, she hadn't analyzed everyone properly.

"None of your goddamn business," Isabella finally replied, only to hear a tongue click in annoyance.

"My, my. You have quite the sharp tongue there. Ohhh! Maybe I'll get to cut it off as a reward?" The young male suddenly broke into an incontrollable fit of laughter, still keeping the knife held in place, "Ushishishi ... ahh. What a refreshing image. Are you a screamer by chance? Please say yes."

This had not been the first sadist Isabella had been around. Yet for some reason, his laugh had made shivers trail down her spine. Probably because, at least his voice suggested as much, he was serious. More so than anyone else she had encountered before.

"Ohhh ... the strong, silent type? Interesting. Not many women go down that road. Now then, set those toys down and let's go in. I'm sure Xanxus will be dying to meet you."

Once more, Isabella stayed quiet, offering little more than a pissed off glare as she reluctantly obeyed and followed the orders.

When she finished, the man gave her an affirmative nod, "Good girl. In we go~"

For perhaps the first time ever - definitely in a long while - Isabella actually felt genuinely scared.

The silence lingered over the two assassins as the male began to lead Isabella inside Varia's base. "You should feel honored, by the way. We aren't known for taking guests in."

With the last quip echoing in her ears, Isabella found herself now inches away from the double doors along with finding out her new fate.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

The moment Isabella's bullet pierced through the glass of Xanxus's window, the other members of Varia rushed around frantically in an attempt to find out what exactly had happened.

The first person to find their boss wounded and lying on the floor was Levi. His eyes widened slightly as he saw Xanxus hurt. Pretty badly too. Levi quickly shook his head as he knelt beside Xanxus, "Do you want me to fetch Lussuria? Or at least look for some - "

The irked glare from his boss was all the encouragement Levi needed to be quiet.

"I ... ngh ... want to see the bastard responsible for this," Xanxus replied in between pained grunts and winces.

"But Xanxus, your wound ... "

Another glare entered Xanxus's eyes and Levi knew better than to push his luck. "Of course. I'll get on that now."

While the other Varia members had been running around, Belphegor led Isabella into the base. Once the blonde haired assassin heard Levi from inside Xanxus's room, he purposely stopped and stood outside the door. All the while, he kept Isabella held at knife point and awaited for the best cue.

Thus when he heard Levi declare he would look for the unknown assassin, Bel smirked and whispered to Isabella, "Mind getting the door open? I would but my hands are kinda occupied."

A low "Tch" was all Bel got for a verbal answer of any kind. Still, she otherwise complied as Isabella reached up and opened the door.

As Xanxus saw both Isabella and Belphegor standing outside of his room, his eyes narrowed. The leader glanced between both assassins several times - albeit appearing to focus more on the new face - before finally resting his gaze upon Belphegor.

"Are you meaning to tell me that _she_ is the one responsible?"

Bel merely smirked and eagerly nodded, "Amazing, isn't it? Her toys are still outside. Well ... " A metallic glint caught the teenager's attention. Noting the pistol still attached to Isabella's hip, he snickered and corrected himself, "The one she used to hurt you is. She came very well prepared it seems," He added, nodding towards Isabella's right side to point the firearm out.

Xanxus made no attempt to hide the annoyed and simultaneously impressed look in his eyes. It was obvious he had never encountered any competent, female assassins.

"Confirm for me, Levi, that there truly is a gun outside. Bring it in if you find it."

After offering little more than a quick nod, Levi exited, leaving Belphegor, Xanxus, and Isabella all in the same room.

What probably felt like an eternity of silence lingered in the air before Xanxus finally spoke, "I should let Belphegor here vivisect you here and now for what you've done to me. However, you may be of use to us yet. Bel. Escort her to one of the spare rooms."

"Awww," the blonde haired assassin half-pouted, "That reward didn't sound too bad. But since you want this ..."

Allowing his sentence to trail off, Bel made his own exit. Despite being a sadomasochist, even he had limits. Now would not have given him a "fun" dose of pain. No, it would be little more than a living hell, even for Belphegor himself. As such, he had no wish to try pushing his luck.

 _Maybe in a bit_ he compromised, stopping outside another room. This time, however, he used his foot to open the door.

To Isabella's amazement, it was an actual room. Sometimes, it could be a coded word or something. Apparently though, Xanxus had meant exactly what he said.

"This is either your luckiest or unluckiest day. You can be the judge of that. I highly recommend rest. If Xanxus seems to have found a use for you, it will be needed." And with that, he shoved the woman inside, using the fact she was still taken aback at the room to his advantage. "Night ~"

As quickly as Isabella had seen the blonde assassin, he soon vanished. A clicking noise hinted she was now locked inside. A mix of reality and fear began to sink into Isabella as she better understood the situation she was now in. A soft, defeated sigh passed her lips as she lied down on her new bed.

" ... That crazy bastard is right, unfortunately. Me being spared is either really good or not so much. "

An amused smirk crossed her lips as a realization dawned on her, "Ha! Dumbass didn't disarm me," she mused, pulling her pistol out of the holster and gripping it tightly in her hands.

What was meant to be an easy escape backfired. As Isabella aimed and fired at the window, her eyes widened in horror as the bullet ricocheted and landed right into her left shoulder. The abrupt sensation of agony made Isabella drop her gun, cry out in pain, then pass out in a matter of minutes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

Downstairs, all of Varia were having a major discussion. By now, Xanxus was - very begrudgingly - being treated by Lussuria. The man was at least competent enough to know how to heal but it was, at best, minimal.

The large meeting room had been silent until Lussuria lost his concentration long enough and made Xanxus hiss in pain. Everyone else but Belphegor visibly winced. The blonde, meanwhile, quietly snickered as Xanxus wasted no time in berating Lussuria.

"Watch it!" He demanded, scoffing in annoyance. "I know this isn't your forte but it _is_ your flame! You should have much better control! Tch."

"S-sorry, boss," Lussuria managed to mumble before resuming his work.

"Now then, as I was about to say, this woman may have a use. The first step will be determining her flame."

Without missing a beat, Bel piped up, "And if she has Sky?!" He made no effort to hide the mixture of hope and enthusiasm in his voice, which made Xanxus narrow his eyes.

"We'll see. However, with there being seven different possibilities, you should know that isn't going to be likely. Still, if she is ... " Xanxus paused before continuing, "It will depend on whether I think she should live still or not. After the verdict, I will give you a more definite answer. Anyone else care to interrupt me?"

When enough time had passed, Xanxus resumed, ignoring the disappointed look that was now on Bel's face. "When all is said and done, we are technically missing one flame; a person who has the Cloud ability. The Gola Mosca is starting to take too long in its completion. Worse off, it is getting costly, more so than I originally thought."

"That's for sure," Marmon murmured quietly in agreement.

"Wait a fucking second!" Squalo exclaimed, "Are you saying you'll let this chick actually _join_ us?!"

"Yes. Got a problem?" Xanxus retorted, shooting the silver haired swordsman which all but dared him to protest.

"Yeah! A shit ton of them! What reassurance will we have that - "

While Squalo had been talking, Xanxus reached down and pulled one of his magnums into his hands. With a deft movement, he raised his hand and fired. A few silver strands of hair fell to the floor. Needless to say, the close call quickly made Squalo shut up.

"We don't. However, anyone with enough common sense will realize it would be foolish to refuse the offer to join. If push comes to shove, you all _should_ be able to handle her. Or so I would hope."

Xanxus went silent once again and gazed among the other members before staring at Belphegor, "Since it was you who found her, she will be your primary responsibility. Rest assured, you do _not_ want to fuck this assignment up. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly~" Bel replied, his voice revealing a smirk had replaced the disappointed look which had been previously on his face.

"Good. Everyone is dismissed."

As everyone began to stand up and depart, the gun shot from Isabella's pistol rang throughout the base. Xanxus sighed and shook his head, "I will let that mistake slide only because her room has bulletproof glass. Go fix your error and disarm her."

"Yes, boss," Bel answered in an eerily sweet, sing-song like voice. As quickly as the other Varia members saw the blonde assassin, he swiftly vanished and headed towards Isabella's room.


	5. Chapter 5

As Belphegor opened the door, the first thing his hazel eyes took note of was Isabella's body on the floor. Naturally, she was lying in some of her own blood. But the other assassin knew compared to what it could have been, she truly was lucky considering the circumstances.

The thought and hope that fortune would continue to smile upon Isabella caused Bel's smirk to further widen. Some part of him prayed she would be able to either maintain her lucky streak or at least endure whatever challenges may find her.

After dwelling for a few more moments on this, he nodded to himself and knelt down by the unconscious woman. As his fingers wrapped around the handle of Isabella's gun, he managed to catch another metallic glint out of the corner of his eyes. The sight made Belphegor tilt his head in curiosity before snickering. In his left hand, he now held a dagger, one that appeared similar to a Bowie knife.

"Ushishishi ... well now. Finally it may start being more interesting around here. Gotta give her credit for one thing at least; she came here pretty damn prepared."

The only things she hadn't seemed ready for were Belphegor and the bulletproof glass. Otherwise, it was obvious to the blonde haired assassin that Isabella would likely have succeeded in her mission.

"But you didn't," he teased, still speaking in his sing-song voice. "Ah well. More fun for me ... hopefully."

Finally, Bel pushed himself up to his full height of five feet, eleven inches. Despite being the youngest member of Varia, he was incredibly tall at the mere age of sixteen.

He briefly considered the idea of sleeping with her, just to startle her. In the end, however, Belphegor decided against it if only because he would also need rest himself.

"Sleep well, our new mafia-hime," While keeping both of her weapons held in his hands, he brought the back of his right palm up to his lips and blew the still unconscious assassin a good night kiss.

He didn't mean the gesture, of course. But he almost never got these chances which allowed Bel to have this much fun, either.

Another soft set of chuckles echoed throughout the room, followed soon by the tell tale clicking of Isabella's lock.

When Isabella finally did wake up, she still felt very sore. "At least you're alive," she muttered, jumping slightly as Belphegor swiftly replied.

"I know, right?" He smirked as Isabella visibly tensed up from his presence. "Oh come now. Don't be like that. Well, you can but it would be much easier if you just accepted everything."

"The fuck are you going on about?"

The reply made Belphegor whistle, "My. Quite the mouth you have. I don't believe I have met another woman with such a colorful vocabulary. Ushishishi ... "

"Tch. Seriously, boy, what are you talking about?"

Bel let out a fake sigh of defeat as he pretended to look disappointed, "Geez. So impatient. Okay, okay. I'll take you to Xanxus so _he_ can explain it to you. Plus, he probably knows where bandages and such are."

Isabella shot Belphegor an irked glare but nodded after a free moments.

Soon, the two were standing beside one another as the younger assassin began escorting Isabella towards Xanxus's room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

After Xanxus had dismissed everyone, he had gone to work despite being warned to take it easy by Lussuria. But of course, he had ignored the advice. This woman had made it clear that she wasn't any typical female, let alone assassin. He knew that Squalo did have valid points. There truly was no guarantee things would work in his favor.

However, he had found and planned as many things as possible.

Unfortunately, this did come with a cost. Specifically, he hadn't gotten much sleep. Thus, when an abrupt knock woke him from his sleep, it caused the boss to narrow his eyes. "This damn well better be important," he simply greeted, only to hear Bel's sing-song voice behind the door.

"I brought our guest over. You wanted to meet her, didn't you?"

Xanxus merely glared through the door.

Even though Belphegor couldn't literally see his boss's expression, the immature giggling fit that was heard from behind the door suggested he had felt it somehow.

"Hmph. Yes though not necessarily this early. Whatever. You've already made the effort. Bring her in."

Thankfully, Xanxus had also created a script of sorts. Thus, he knew what he wanted to say even in a slightly sleep-deprived state.

Soon, the door opened and both the woman and Belphegor entered. His onyx eyes lingered once more upon the newcomer. It still felt surreal and even a bit terrifying that this female, this assassin, had _almost_ been the reason he damn well nearly died last night. Of course, he would never admit it scared him. He had too much of his own pride to let anyone know _that._

As Xanxus sat up in his bed, Isabella was met with the sight of him half-nude; clad only in the same pants he'd worn last night. In order to get to his wound though, Lussuria had to treat him without his usual fur coat or shirt. Needless to say, he had forgotten to put anything back on in his haste to prepare for today.

"Please, sit," Xanxus offered, gesturing towards a chair. When Isabella remained standing, he hid a smirk. This had been what he was expecting; some act of defiance. Good. It meant he hadn't made a mistake just yet in sparing her. "I _insist._ Sit."

As he emphasized on the word 'insist', Bel heard the verbal cue and eagerly accepted it. His hands deftly moved down and grasped the Bowie knife he'd confiscated from Isabella, pressing it near her throat. "Lovely weapon by the way," he complimented.

Isabella merely scowled, "You're returning that to me later, you little prick."

Bel merely smirked, guiding her towards the chair Xanxus had pointed to and replying in a taunting voice, "We'll see~"

"Now then ... I don't believe any of us have heard your name," Xanxus added, preventing Bel from controlling the talk. He knew if he would allow him that type of leverage, the blonde haired assassin would ... go a bit overboard. What Belphegor defined as 'fun' was a tactic that Xanxus only allowed when it was absolutely needed. Depending on how this talk went, that could be as soon as a few minutes or longer.

Of course, quite a bit of this would vary greatly on the woman across from him and how well she would cooperate.

It almost seemed like Bel would get his wish. Finally, after a bit of silence lingered in the room, the newcomer spoke up.

"No, you didn't. I suppose there's no point in hiding that anymore. My name is Isabella Marie Valrayne."

"Good. I knew you were a smart woman." Xanxus continued to stare at her, though not in a perverted way like many may assume. He was genuinely studying her with interest. Her upper body contained some muscles, particularly near the shoulder area. But it wasn't bad; far from it. It meant she hadn't been a fluke or anything that would suggest she merely got a lucky shot on him. Yet at the same time, she still held a very feminine appearance despite also having her body covered in wounds, muscles, and even a few scars Xanxus took note of.

"So," he went on to inquire after doing enough observing, "Who hired you?"

"No one," Isabella deftly replied.

At first, neither men reacted. Bel was the first as he went into a laughing fit while Xanxus merely tilted his head slightly.

"No one?" he repeated skeptically. "You're saying you decided to come after me on your own whim?" When Isabella quickly nodded, the smirk he'd been concealing for a while finally spread on his face. "Interesting. No one has had that much nerve before. More than that, no one has come as close to succeeding like you. I congratulate you for this."

Slowly, Xanxus stood up, grabbing what appeared to be a blank sheet of paper as he did so. "You are still alive because I think you may be of use to Varia." A few low winces elicited from the leader but he continued moving forward. As he got in arm's reach of Isabella, he held the parchment out towards the woman. "Touch this. No tricks if that's what you're wondering. This will just help confirm how useful you may or may not be to us."

The sight of the paper caused Isabella to raise an eyebrow. She didn't _want_ to comply with the command. Hell and no.

... But as she felt her own blade threaten to break some of her skin, she remembered there was no sense in denying Xanxus. Besides, she was rather curious on what this would do. So, she would humor them.

As her right middle and index fingers touched the paper, a purple flame almost immediately shot up. One could almost mistake it for indigo. But Xanxus knew better.

"Perfect," he murmured, "You're actually _exactly_ what we needed. You see, we haven't been able to find a wielder of the Cloud flame. You know of your own ability, don't you?"

Isabella gripped down on her lower lip before giving an affirmative nod. She didn't usually need to use it. Thinking back on it, she probably should have attempted to activate it. If she'd made her bullets multiply, even that could have made the job succeed. Or gotten closer to doing so. Still, it would have decreased - or completely removed - the end result of failure. "Yeah, I do."

 _Where the fuck are you going with this, hm?_ she inwardly pondered.

"I am going to perform a coup against the individual who is supposed to become the Juudaime. In order to do this, we will need a person possessing one of each flame. Cloud was all that we were missing. Now, though - "

He was soon interrupted by Isabella, who actually was chuckling instead of Bel.

"Hm? What's so funny?" Xanxus questioned.

"So, lemme get this straight. You're not even supposed to be the Juudaime. Yet, you want it so bad that you're willing to risk everything to get that very rank?" Her head shook, although carefully to avoid helping her own knife make her bleed. "That's not worth it. The plan's not fool proof. There are tons of ways it can backfire against you and - "

 _Smack!_

While Isabella had been talking, Xanxus pulled his right hand back and let it land roughly on her face.

"I will _not_ be talked down upon, bitch!" he growled, glaring angrily at her for a few more moments before looking back up to Belphegor. "How many days without food and drink do you think she can endure?"

"Hmm ... " Bel peeked over Isabella's shoulder, taking his turn to study her before smirking and gazing back up to his boss, "Two days. Maybe three if she's really lucky."

"Well ... we'll get a more definite answer soon. Send her back to her room where she can think more. Hopefully, the alone time will make her get smarter."

As Belphegor forced Isabella to stand up, Xanxus headed back to his bed. "Don't worry," he reassured her, "You won't be alone the entire time. I will send someone to always check on you every now and again. But you will not be permitted to leave until either I deem it or you tell any of my men you're ready to be more serious with me. Take her away. Oh. And be glad I'm letting you even keep that room. Trust me when I say there are worse places I could have Bel place you."

"He's right~" Bel agreed, snickering as he roughly led Isabella out of Xanxus' room. A slightly irked sigh elicited as he knew this had been a bit of a win and lose situation simultaneously. He had been denied his fun. However, depending on how things would go, he may get his way soon enough.

"Back in you go~" He merely stated, shoving Isabella inside. "For the record, you should heed his advice. The sooner you accept everything, the better things will go for me. Trust me with that much. Bye~"

As the door shut and clicked once more, Isabella would hear the blonde assassin giggling once more. Once he got out of ear shot, the sounds decreased in volume before finally halting altogether.

A frustrated sigh elicited from the woman's lips as she sat down on her bed. "Well ... fuck. Lovely mess you've gotten into. Tch." Her head bowed slightly as she ran a finger through her hair, only to feel and realize the bullet was still embedded in her flesh.

" ... Damn. Gonna have to fix that somehow. Oh, that'll be fun." Her eyes rolled as the last sentence left her lips.

 _No it won't be. It'll suck. Royally._

Another soft sigh elicited. That would be worked on ... later. For now, she wanted to ensure she had enough strength. If Isabella truly was going to be tested with her endurance of not having any meals or drinks, she would need as much of it as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII**

For the first five minutes or so after Belphegor had walked away from her door, Isabella had simply stared down at her wound. When she was relatively certain he was out of earshot, however, she stood up and entered the adjacent bathroom that was included in this room.

"Thank gods they let me have that much," she muttered. As she looked up at the mirror hanging above the sink, she grasped onto it and pulled. Sure enough, it was as she'd thought, one of those mirrors which also acted as a door to a medicine cabinet. There wasn't much but she had managed to find more than enough to help deal with the bullet wound.

Isabella walked out with some gauze and a pair of tweezers.

 _This is definitely gonna suck. Ugh._ Isabella grimaced as she set the gauze on a mantle near the bed and sat upon it. Her teeth bit firmly into her lower lip. Seconds later, a muffled hiss of agony elicited as she guided the tweezers into the bullet wound.

"Mmmmmmfff!" she groaned, shuddering as she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

 _Just shut up and get it out! Ah, fuck! Fuck, fuck!_

"Fuck!" she screamed out loud, accidentally letting go of the grip her teeth had held on her lower lip. At almost the exact moment she cursed, the bullet was successfully extracted from her flesh. That alone made her sigh in relief as she panted heavily.

"Fuckers," she muttered, still breathing in rapid succession as Isabella tossed the bullet away then wrapped the wound. It stung, and probably would for a few days. But at least the wound wouldn't get infected now.

It took little more than for Isabella to close her eyes before she passed out on her bed.

Sure enough, Xanxus seemed to hold true to his promise. As she woke up, a grinning Belphegor was beside her. She had almost expected to see a tray of food ... but the boy's words made her recall the challenge she'd been issued.

"I _would_ normally be here with such a thing. But remember? You declined the boss's generous offer to join us. So ... I'm here empty-handed. Have you already changed your mind?"

Isabella glared at Bel before firmly shaking her head no. "Tch, definitely not. I don't owe any of you bastards anything, let alone my skills."

Bel let out a sigh as he rested his hand against his chin. "You know," he mused, "It'd just be easier. Not only for you but all of us. Some of the others _really_ don't wanna baby-sit you. Were it not for the fact I've been promised a reward if I do really well - or you give boss enough reasons to - I would agree with them. This is otherwise kinda boring. Buuut ... "

His grin widened more as he continued to gaze down at Isabella, "You really are an interesting person. Particularly for a woman."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?!" she retorted, only to be answered with another laughing fit.

"Good, good! That was the right train of thought to go to! But it means ... just that, really. Women really don't usually go to this line of field." He answered with a simple shrug. "I mean, come on. How many other female assassins have you seen, hm?"

"I'll accept that much," Isabella replied in a low near-growl. "But don't fucking think we're not capable."

"On the contrary, I _know_ you are. Even before you found Varia, I always thought that much. Still, there aren't many of the fairer gender who can _actually_ pick up a gun - or any kind of weapon - and actually use it. But you ... you damn well nearly _killed_ Boss! And hell, you almost did it with no real regrets or second thoughts! That's actually impressive!"

A brief pause lingered in the room. Soon, the silence was broken as the chair Bel had been sitting in creaked slightly as he leaned forward and finally stood up, stretching slightly. As his arms went over his head, he kept his concealed hazel eyes focused on Isabella before finally speaking again.

"So. You gonna change your mind yet? Or should I tell boss you're gonna keep being stubborn?"

"Just fuck off already, why don't you?" Isabella swiftly replied, hearing yet another fit of laughter echo in her ears.

"Ahhh, good. I'm honestly kinda glad. I've yet to find a woman that actually fights, both literally and verbally. Good. This means things will finally start becoming fun around here. Okay then. I'll let him know, I suppose. Just remember; after a while, you _will_ give in. Everyone does. When Xanxus wants something, he always gets it. You're no exception. You're just something that he needs to work a lot harder for. But it also means the rewards will be that much more sweeter when he gets your loyalty to him."

The repeated chuckles continued echoing throughout the room as Belphegor sauntered towards the room, purposely keeping a slow pace. His hand rested on the door knob to Isabella's room as he stayed inside, as if pondering on something.

"Hmm ... I feel like I should ... hm?!"

Before he could finish his thoughts, Bel turned around in time to see that Isabella had doing her own planning. From the moment he moved away to when he got ready to open her door, the female assassin had seemed to make a move in order to try to escape. As such, he was met with the sight of her lunging for him.

"Ushishishishi! You're serious?!" he mused, seeming to be given a non-verbal 'yes' as he was tackled onto the floor. "Very well then."

Isabella had yanked the door open and gotten her left foot out. Before her right could join, however, she felt something cold and metal against her ankle. Her head turned to see Bel wielding one of his daggers and pressing it against her Achille's heel.

"You don't need to be a medical expert to understand why that would be a rather severe injury, I'm sure. Now then, get back inside. Or, I can just go on and cut it now if you're going to be that persistent."

"Fuck you," Isabella growled, clenching her fists. When she felt the blade begin to move, she hissed and quickly moved back into the room.

"Ngh. You sure know how to use momentum pretty well. Lemme tell ya something, missy. You got more balls than some of the others here. That much I will admit. But if you think that's gonna save you, you're sadly mistaken. Later~"

Only when he made certain she wouldn't be able to try to escape again did Bel exit and re-lock the door, snickering all the while.

Xanxus had been waiting nearby and the smirk on Bel's face was all he'd needed to see. Even without asking, he was pretty certain the girl hadn't caved in yet. Still, he had also heard quite a bit of the exchange between the two and his Storm guardian had been right about one thing. If Xanxus wanted something, he _always_ got it. Isabella was just one of those items that would take a bit more time.

 _Still, 'later' isn't the same as 'never'._ Xanxus reassured himself, smirking slightly as he went back into his room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

Another day rather swiftly came and went. Sure enough, no one else came inside to check up on her until the next morning.

Before then, however, Isabella felt her stomach clench into a tight and painful knot. Her hands quickly wrapped around her midsection as she muttered, "Shut up," in protest. "It's only been ... two? Two and a half days."

She _had_ eaten prior to taking up this mission and hunting Xanxus down. But that had been at least three hours before heading to the Varia base and as such, all of the time was adding up. It made her sigh as her head fell back upon the pillow.

"If they're gonna make me stay here, couldn't they give me something to do? Goddamn, so fucking bored."

Whether anyone believed it or not, Isabella did actually have a few hobbies she had. Reading was usually one but there were absolutely no novels in the room. All that was inside were the bare essentials; a bed side mantle, a few lamps, an adjacent bathroom with a functioning sink, shower, and toilet, a dresser for clothes, and hell even a closet.

It seemed that this group had a very minimalistic mindset.

 _That or someone is just cheap as all fuck on what they do want. Hmm._

Isabella didn't get to ponder too long on whether this was true or not before the door opened again. Her head lifted, half-expecting to see Belphegor again. Instead, however, another tall man with long, silver hair walked in.

"So, changed your mind yet?" he asked, wielding a massive sword in his ... wait. It wasn't _in_ his hand. No, the damn thing was _attached_ to it!

That certainly made Isabella quirk an eyebrow.

 _One thing's for sure. The people here aren't dull or boring._

Isabella sat up on the bed and shook her head from side to side. "No. My answer isn't changing."

"You sure? You don't look too good going by the lack of color in your skin and the fact you're holding yourself like that."

Isabella narrowed her eyes as she shot a glare over towards the man. "Did I fucking stutter?! No! I'm not changing my mind!"

Squalo was used to this sort of answer from his boss. Maybe even Bel, if one was unfortunate to catch him on an unlucky day. Sure, the youngest member did tend to have fun but there were times even he could lose his temper. All the same, this sort of reaction was _not_ something he had expected, let alone from a prisoner of sorts.

"Don't fucking talk to me like that, you bitch!"

Isabella smirked and - without really thinking on her reply - swiftly quipped back, "Awww. Did I hurt your feelings or something?" After chuckling for a few brief seconds, she sighed and stared back into Squalo's eyes. "Listen up and listen good because I'm only saying this once. No one tells me what to say or do except for myself. Don't like it? Then get the fuck out."

If Squalo had thought he'd heard things, he now knew his ears hadn't deceived him. He stared back at the woman before taking his turn to shoot her a glare and advancing quickly towards her. "You little bitch! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

Squalo raised his unarmed hand and began to bring it up, clearly ready to slap Isabella. But he stopped though it wasn't because of hearing any new noises. Rather, it was because of what he wasn't seeing.

 _The fuck is she just doing?!_

Isabella had stayed still. She never flinched, not even when he began to close the gap between them. Hell, she looked as if she had been ready to accept the abuse.

"Oh fuck," Squalo muttered, "Are you another masochist like that weirdo Bel is?"

Isabella frowned and quickly shook her head no, "Fuck no. But really? That'd be it?" She gave a casual shrug. "I've had a lot worse. What? Am I supposed to be afraid of you all just because you're an actual group and I'm one person? Hmph. Sorry to say but it won't work that easily on me."

Squalo's hand lowered, only to raise once again, and then landed on the wall beside Isabella's head.

"Trust me," he vowed, "That goddamned cocky attitude of yours will _not_ last here forever! In fact, you're gonna wish you hadn't shown that off to any of us. Everyone has a trigger of sorts. When we find yours ... "

The swordsman merely let the sentence trail off, figuring that she could finish it off decently for herself.

He pivoted on his feet then halted, "One last chance. Sure you don't wanna change your mind about being hungry?"

"I'm sure," he heard Isabella quickly say, making him take his turn to sigh.

"Alright. But you can't say I didn't fucking warn you."

Before Isabella could retort, Squalo stormed towards the door, opened it, and slammed it shut.

"Who does that bitch think she is, talking to me like that? Tch." He angrily shook his head and entered Xanxus's room.

"Still no?" The boss inquired, also taking notice of his right-hand man's expression. "Hmm. I admire her persistence, I'll admit that. But this is starting to become rather irritating."

Squalo bit his lip as he bowed his head ever-so-slightly, clearly embarrassed at having failed to convince the female assassin to change her mind, "I'm sorry. Just ... urgh! Nothing seems to bother her! But I know that can't be true and ... "

As if a light bulb appeared over Xanxus's head, he nodded and held a hand up, signaling for Squalo to be silent. "Don't worry about it. For now, have Levi help you with cutting the water to her sink off. Only the sink though for now."

Squalo groaned, almost immediately receiving an annoyed glare from Xanxus as he did so. "Damnit. Do I _have_ to go ask that bastard?! Can't it be someone else?"

"Bel is doing research on her, Lussuria wouldn't know how to use any sort of mechanical tools, the Gola Mosca is still in the works, and the person I intend to have visit her next ... I intend to speak with. Very soon."

"Tch. Fine." Squalo made no effort to hide his reaction to the task as he lifted his head and reluctantly exited Xanxus's room.

 _Get in here. I know you can hear me so follow my thoughts to my chambers._

Within minutes, the door to the Varia boss's room opened and inside floated a small figure. "Interesting," Marmon mused, "You've never used that sort of method to speak to me before. So, what'd you want?"

Xanxus merely smirked as he rested a hand against his jaw, "I thought that would have been obvious. A job. Paying, of course."

"Good. You tried to short change me on the past several."

Xanxus waved a hand through the air, quickly dismissing the matter. "That was then. This is now. I want you ... to see if our guest is as strong mentally as she seems to be physically. If you can get her to cooperate, there will be an added bonus."

Even from under his cowl, Xanxus could see a smile cross the Arcobaleno's face. "Deal. I doubt it'll be too much trouble. Warriors are just that in the end; great with physical-related tasks but horrible when it comes to mental and psychological warfare."

"I knew I could count on you. You start tomorrow. I want her to be at full strength. You've whined about not having a challenge. That will be an easy way to ensure you get it."

Marmon paused to think of this before nodding. "Alright. This will give me time to figure things out then." And with that, he floated out of the room and entered back into his own room, seeming more eager than usual for the next day to arrive.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**

It hadn't been easy, but after a shower and lying down on top of the bed, Isabella had forced herself to fall asleep. She was woken up by the sensation of feeling ... cold. _Very_ cold. Her hands fumbled around and pulled the blankets over her.

The assassin could detect it had worked, albeit not as well as it should have.

When her mind realized something was amiss, she groaned and sat up. As the covers fell away, it dawned on her as to why she was so cold. Isabella was nude.

" ... The fuck?!" she hissed, pulling the blankets quickly up and covering herself. An infuriated glare entered her eyes as she darted around, only to be guided upward by a loud whistle.

"Up here. About time you woke up."

Floating ... floating? How the fuck was that happening? She wasn't sure. Isabella just knew that her eyes were definitely not deceiving her though it appeared as if that wasn't true. Her head shook as she glanced at the hovering ... infant?

 _If this isn't the damnedest wake up call I've had in a while._

A smirk crossed the figure's face, "I can imagine," he mused, agreeing with her. A small hand quickly raised, "I'm a psychic among other things. Don't worry. You'll find out what I mean soon and - when you cooperate - get your clothes back."

"... Have I expressed how much I hate you bastards yet?" Isabella growled, keeping her gaze upon the Arcobaleno and her hands gripping the sheets.

"You don't need to. I can hear it in your head. Now then ... I don't have all day. Rather, I don't want to take all day to get this assignment done. Hmmm ... "

He had done just as he'd promised Xanxus and thought long and hard on things that could be done. Marmon quietly studied the female below him before looking at the room around them. "Seems kinda plain, don't you think?"

That made Isabella change her head.

The sight of the confused expression made his smirk widen slightly. "You see," Marmon began to explain, "I'm also a magician, an illusionist to be more specific. Like so."

Soon, the room changed and appeared as if Isabella's bed had somehow been placed in the dead center of a crowded mall. Her cheeks flushed and they only got redder as people snickered and stared at her.

"The fuck are you doing?" she managed to ask in a quiet but still very infuriated voice.

"Finding your triggers. Since you're not willingly cooperating, I'm finding a way to make you. Xanxus's patience is wearing thin. You should be glad he hasn't just stormed in - or let anyone do so - and take more drastic measures. Hmm ... so you're not afraid of being in public or stared at in such humiliating situations? Fine then."

"Fucking pervert," Isabella muttered as Marmon shrugged.

"I'm not about to fail this job that easily." He retorted. "Hmmm ... something else."

The crowd vanished as it was soon replaced by a dark setting. Once Isabella's eyes adjusted, she would note graves all around her. Apparently, Marmon had made the scenery shift into a cemetery.

"... Nope. Not this either. Hmm ... " At worst, Marmon saw that Isabella had narrowed her eyes and seemed cautious. But there was no sense of genuine fear. If anything, her irritation towards him had definitely increased by a large amount.

"You know how easy it'd be for me to cheat? For me to instantly see what I _should_ be showing you just to make you cave in?"

While Isabella quietly shook her head no, he raised a small hand.

"It'd be this simple," he replied, snapping his fingers. The corners of the sheets swiftly turned into manacles and soon, Isabella found herself chained to the bed in a spread eagle position.

"Loss of control?" He asked, smirking slightly as he watched the female assassin gasp then struggle at her restraints.

"You ... agh! Get these off of me!"

"Nope. Not quite. Though the answer is still no all the same." A small sigh elicited from Marmon as he floated down towards Isabella. "Sorry, but Xanxus isn't the only one wanting this guessing game to end. So ... "

In a matter of moments, he was now hovering over Isabella's head. He reached down and rested his hand upon the other assassin's forehead and began to look through her memories as if they were but an open book.

When Isabella understood what was happening, her struggles quickened. "You bastard! How dare you! That's not what minds are meant to - "

 _Is he really that fast?_

Her face paled as Marmon found what had apparently been the right answer. A specific memory which made his smirk further widen.

"Oh? I see. Everything else I've guessed are just things you hate losing or seeing. Your real fear .. is nosocomephobia."

 _The hell?!_ Isabella internally screamed in her head. _How can a child know so much?!_

"Because I'm not a child. Appearances are often deceiving. But that doesn't really matter right now, does it?"

Once more, the scene shifted and the elegant bed that Isabella was resting on also changed. It went from the normal one she'd seen to taking the appearance of a hospital bed. The room adapted to properly match as the mantle beside her had multiple medical instruments laid down on it.

"You know," the Arcobaleno mused, "Bel would have a lot of fun. Probably too much. Trust me when I say you would _not_ enjoy it though he'll get a kick out of it."

By now, Isabella's heart was pounding so loud that if anyone else had been inside the room, they definitely would have heard how terrified she was. A good amount of color had left her flesh and she was jerking desperately against her chains, not seeming to care that each attempt continued to fail.

"The fuck do you want?!" she inquired, now in an genuinely scared voice.

"Easy," Marmon answered, "Your loyalty. Just say you'll join. I won't get Bel and you can eat. You want that ... don't you?"

"Only the last half," Isabella murmured.

" ... You would really still try to be so demanding and picky?" The Arcobaleno shook his head in amusement. "The moment you were brought here, you lost any chance of leaving here. You _should_ just accept your fate and become our Cloud guardian. But ... if you really still want to fight against us ... "

He began to float towards the door, causing Isabella to grip her lower lip tightly.

 _He ... he wouldn't! Would he?_

"You bet I would. Bel's been waiting for a chance to have what he calls 'fun'. Trust me when I say he will gladly jump on this opportunity. Once he enters this room, there won't be much if anything I can say to convince him to stop. Are you ready to take that risk?" His hand rested on the doorknob as Marmon stared over at the chained woman. "Given how you're reacting now, the answer is a definite no. But if you try to lie to me ... I can't really change that."

"I ... "

That was as far as Isabella got before Marmon started mentally counting down from three. When she still refused to speak, he nodded and pulled the door open. "Alright then. I'll be back."

As quickly as all the illusions had been appearing and disappearing, Marmon also soon vanished, leaving an uneasy and incredibly nervous Isabella still chained tightly down to the hospital bed.

 _It can't be that bad._

Or at least she wanted to believe that was true. But deep in her heart and soul, she _knew_ it could be. Bel was anything _but_ sane. She'd seen that over the past several days. So how far would he go?

 _Well ... you're about to find out, I suppose._

With that, she shut her eyes tightly and began taking quick breaths through her nose in a desperate attempt to keep herself somewhat calm. All she could now, it seemed, was wait.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

The calm demenor that Isabella usually had seemed to fade quicker than usual, probably because every time she opened her eyes, she saw the hospital scenery around it. It triggered panic attacks. She had almost forgotten how they had felt, let alone how much she hated them until now.

Needless to say, once the fear had taken over, she went from simply lying atop the bed to struggling violently and frantically against the chains.

"The fuck?!" she hissed angrily through gritted teeth, "I thought he said he was just an illusionist, didn't he?!"

Her eyes closed as she thought long and hard. Sure enough, Marmon's words from earlier echoed in her mind.

 _"I'm also a magician, an illusionist to be more specific."_

 _So how the fuck are all of these still here?! Especially when he's not in the room?!_

"My, my. I didn't think you were that ignorant."

Isabella had been so busy with her struggles that she failed to pick up on noises that would normally have been easy for her to detect. This time, it had been Belphegor walking inside. Beside him was Marmon, who took to his preference of floating rather than walk and was beside the blonde assassin's head.

"Isn't it obvious? The answer should be simple; it's because I'm that skilled. But I suppose you've never met another Arcobaleno, have you?"

The confused look on Isabella's face upon hearing such an odd term all but gave it away.

"Thought as much. Anyway, I keep my promises, unfortunately for you. Bel, she's all yours now."

Bel smirked and let out a slightly high squeal of excitement. "Ushishishi ... thank you, Marmsy~"

"Ugh. Damnit, Bel. I've told you time and time again not to call me that."

But by now, the youngest Varia member had blocked out his partner's words and sauntered over towards the restrained Isabella. He clicked his tongue in disapproval when he closed the gap between them and watched the female turn her head away from him.

"Awwww. Don't be like that." Bel asked in a semi-pouty tone. It was mostly fake, really, but he was curious to see if she'd give in anyway. When she continued her acts of defiance, however, it made Bel smirk. "Nice, nice. Most people would lose their fight and fire by now. I'm pleased to see you haven't."

Marmon cleared his throat to get Belphegor's attention, "Remember, this _is_ for a job. Don't take all day."

"Okay, okay. I hear ya. I'm just figuring out the best way to go about this." Bel tapped his right middle and index fingers against his side whilst staring down at Isabella. "Well," he decided, "First thing's first."

Without a warning, he moved a hand down. At first, it probably appeared as if it was about to entangle into her hair. Instead, it grabbed the covers and yanked them off, fully exposing her body to both Bel and Marmon. Thankfully, the latter didn't seem to be paying too much attention.

Still, it didn't make the anger and shame leave. If anything, it strengthened as she shot a glare at Bel.

"You little prick! Put that back on!"

Bel snickered as he ignored the demand, instead taking note of several things which had gotten his attention. "You know, I've always read and heard that fear and arousal are connected. But you've helped me understand and see that in a much more visual manner. Interesting, interesting," he mused as he placed his index finger against his thumb and flicked the digit over a nipple which, by now, had hardened due to a mixture of said fear and the cold air.

"Ngh!" Isabella whined, shaking slightly as a shiver trailed down her entire body.

"Bel," Marmon reminded him, "Not all day."

"Kaching! I fucking heard the first time, alright?" His smirk widened as he added, "But seriously, Marmon. None of us have really seen a female's body quite like this. It's rather fascinating, don't you think?"

The words made the illusionist pause as he seriously thought on them before nodding, "I suppose it could have its scientific perks."

"There ya go. I knew you'd understand. It won't be all day but I'm definitely not going to rush this either." As Bel stared back down towards Isabella, he nodded and began placed his hands against her shoulders. Slowly, he began moving them down; traveling past the sides of her rib cage, hips, legs, and finally halted at her ankles.

Only to move his hands on the insides of her legs.

"Don't ... " Isabella quickly cried out, shaking her head from side to side.

"Shh, shh, shhh. I'm just examining ... for now. What's wrong? Hiding something?" Bel inquired as he moved his hands up, stopping inches away from her labia. "Mmm. Very smooth from what I've felt. You shave? Or wax?"

"None of your fucking business," Isabella replied without missing a beat, causing Bel to snicker again.

"I love how you think you're still in control. You poor thing. No, no. You haven't had _that_ for a long time, unfortunately. Since I found and took you in, to be exact."

Isabella grit her teeth. That had been the second or third time someone else had told her such a thing and now, she was starting to feel as if that were indeed true. Her head shook as the female assassin tried to insist it wasn't completely true yet. She had bitten her lip out of instinct but tightened her grip upon feeling Bel's fingers spread her lower lips.

Her eyes tightened as the reaction she had expected resounded from Bel; a laugh.

"Who'd have thought that you would have enough nerve for _that_?!" Bel rhetorically asked, snickering and giggling as he had easily found her clit ... and the fact that it was pierced. "You just keep surprising me more and more." He mused, licking his lips at the sight. "And you _do_ wax! You'd be anyone's dream girl, even with the fiesty attitude. Actually, more so with it probably. You know how many guys are into those kinds of chicks?"

"Shut up," Isabella muttered, trying to sound demanding. Unfortunately, the same sense of shame had heightened yet again and it came out as more of a whine and whimper combined.

Bel merely sighed and clicked his tongue again, "Still wish you'd be a bit nicer. Ah well. That is why Marmon brought me here, because you're still being stubborn." Letting go of Isabella's lips, he gripped her jaw. "You've already experienced a very small taste of what I can do. And this is just the primarily psychological shit. Do you really think you have it in you to endure actual, physical pain? Hmm? I'm sure you're a bit famished. Just swear your loyalty over and I won't have to hurt you. I'll admit though, part of me kinda hopes you keep that rebellious streak up but it is your choice in the end."

Isabella swallowed, realizing that Bel was right about one thing. She hadn't had anything to eat _or_ drink in the past several days. And even with the 'tough girl' act, she was very hungry and thirsty. As much as she tried to convince herself she was able to endure more of Bel's 'fun session', there was a part of her which honestly wasn't certain.

Finally, after a few moments of silence had passed, Isabella shook her head from side to side again. "No!" she retorted, "I'm ... not joining!"

Bel grinned as he patted her hair in response, "You have no idea how happy you've just made me. I know they say you go to cloud nine when you're ecstatic but I'd have to say this is ten, maybe twenty you've sent me to. Alrighty then."

Never once did Bel's smirk even start to vanish as he slid his hand off of Isabella's body and into his pocket. As his hands came back to into view, the captured assassin would see Bel holding two daggers, wielding one in each hand.

"These, unfortunately for you, are _very_ real. Wanna see? Oh, better yet, wanna _feel_?"

Before Isabella could protest, he moved one quickly down and thrust it through her right palm.

Not even three seconds passed. A shocked gasp elicited before Isabella's eyes widened as she let out a loud scream of pure agony.

"Mmm, sound better than I imagined," Bel murmured, smiling as he watched a steady trail of blood flowing from the wound. "Oops. Xanxus _did_ want you to be our Cloud Guardian, huh? And from what I've seen, you're best at sniping. Hmm. My bad~"

Of course, the sing-song voice from Bel hinted he was anything _but_ sorry.

"Well ... hmmm," He tilted his head before nodding, "You only need one eye, right? I mean, as long as you have at least one, you can still snipe, yes?"

 _Wait ... he doesn't mean ... does he?!_ Isabella looked over from Bel to Marmon, who merely gave her an affirmative nod.

"He would. And he's technically right. You do only need one. You can use a rifle with only one though I can imagine it'll be annoying to do it that way."

"You may as well kill me then!" Isabella hissed, shuddering harder as Bel slowly walked beside her on the opposite, now closer towards her left eye.

"You take great pride in that talent, don't you?" Bel asked in an almost concerned voice, smirking as he saw Isabella nod. "Luckily - or unluckily for you - I can't kill you. Nope, I gotta spare you."

Yet his next actions seemed almost hypocritical of his words. The left hand wielding the second knife thrust downward, though not for Isabella's eye like she'd partly expected. Instead, it went through her sternum, making her cough blood as she gasped.

"You ... fucker!" she hissed, panting and shaking harder than she had ever since arriving in Varia's base. She wasn't a doctor but she knew quite a bit of medical knowledge. That helped her feel that Bel had purposely missed any vital organs, though the damn thing had came close to stabbing a lung.

 _He ... has that kind of accuracy then?_

The realization shed a new and much brighter light on Isabella. She hadn't understood how truly dangerous Belphegor could be. But now that she began to see for herself how skilled he actually was, it made her actually scared.

A groan elicited as Bel yanked the dagger out and held it above the newest wound. A few drops of blood fell barely above her navel, covering her stomach in her own life force.

" _Now_ the eye, shall we? After all, you survived that fine so I'm sure you'll be okay even while conscious. Right?"

"No!" Isabella pleaded, shutting her eyes tightly. "No more! Okay!"

"Hmmmm?" Bel asked, smirking as he rested a hand upon her bleeding midsection. "What was that?"

Isabella frowned as she gripped her lower lip tightly before bowing her head slightly, "I'll do it. Tell your goddamn boss I'll be his Cloud Guardian."

"You caught that, Marmon?" Bel asked, looking behind him to see the Mist user nodding with his own smirk.

"Mhm, sure did. As promised ... " The Arcobaleno snapped his fingers. Within seconds, the scenery changed to its normal appearance, the chains vanished, and Isabella's clothes appeared on her. It was as if this had all been a dream.

Were it not for Belphegor and Marmon both still in her room, she would have believed this had been just a horrible nightmare. But the repeated, stinging sensation made her _know_ that everything she'd experienced was very genuine.

"Well then, congratulations. I knew you'd wise up. Welcome to Varia. I'll inform Xanxus. Bel? Get one of the other Sun users around here since Lussuria still doesn't use his own flame properly."

"Of course." Bel replied, staying behind even after Marmon left. "Don't worry," he reassured Isabella, "I heard Marmon. But before I leave, I just wanted to say ... thank you so much. That was _amazing_ for me. See ya later~"

With that, he turned and pivoted on his feet, leaving a bloody Isabella alone. Another click echoed, signaling that once again, the door had been locked.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

Isabella felt herself going through the rapid process of desperately fighting to keep her eyes open. Every now and again, however, they managed to shut for a few seconds before opening quickly. Frantic gasps and pants repeatedly elicited, albeit very weakly.

This wasn't to say Isabella had never gotten hurt before. Just never this badly. Bel had no doubt been one of the cruelest people that the female assassin had met. Now that she had seen a small amount of his true skills, it only made him that much more dangerous.

"How ... is he not in charge?" she muttered in between pained winces. It was slow but she could feel and taste some blood seeping through her shirt and falling upon the sheets beneath her. More of her life joined the wound that had been given to her midsection as Isabella coughed more blood up every so often.

With each new minute that ticked away, Isabella began to fear she'd been left to bleed to death. Thankfully, the door unlocked once again and Xanxus entered with two females behind him. They looked normal enough though it was odd to think that there were other women in Varia's ranks. It seemed so male-dominant.

"So," Xanxus started, pulling Isabella away from her internal thoughts, "Is what I have heard from Belphegor and Marmon true? You've come to your senses?"

As silence lingered between the leader of Varia and the newest member, both tried to glare at one another though it was difficult for Isabella to do.

"Well? They won't treat you until I say so. Let's try again. Was I told the truth? Your actions make it seem otherwise ... "

As his sentence trailed off, Isabella gripped her lower lip. It didn't take a genius to understand things would go badly not only for her but the others as well. Not that she gave a shit, really; or so she tried to convince herself of that.

" ... Yes. It is true," she finally answered, gasping slightly as a hand roughly grabbed her jaw.

"Then why are you averting your gaze as if you're ashamed or lying? Look in my eyes and answer me honestly."

Whether it was fueled solely by the forced eye contact, the feeling of Xanxus's hand gripping her jaw, or something else that Isabella wasn't thinking immediately about, something made her heart beat quickly. Each pump caused her to wince in agony as her body shook and shuddered from the constant pain surging through her body.

Another brief pause lingered before the faintest of nods was seen from the bleeding Isabella. "Yes," she repeated, "What ... you were told ... is true."

For a few moments, Xanxus said nothing. Without any warning, he moved his hand from her jaw and gripped tightly onto her right hand, the same one Bel had stabbed, and began to squeeze it tightly.

"If I ever think for one second you're going to try to betray me, consequences will happen. You'll either die or wish for death, depending on what I decide will happen to you. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," Isabella answered in between gritted teeth, hissing as Xanxus let go of her hand.

"Good. I'm glad we came to this agreement. You may come downstairs and join the rest of us for lunch after they tend to you."

As quickly as he had entered the room, the boss soon exited, leaving Isabella alone with the other women. A warm sensation covered her entire body and within mere moments, the wound marks had vanished. Scars were now in their stead, going across both her right palm and midsection.

The only thing that wasn't fixed from what Isabella could feel were the bones that had broken from Bel stabbing her palm.

As if they had read her mind, one of the healers looked down towards Isabella with an apolgetic look, "Sorry, miss. The most you can do for those is take it easy. They should fully heal in two to four weeks. Until then, you're going to have to be careful on moving your hand and fingers."

 _Well, shit ..._

Out loud, however, Isabella gave a very different reply. After all, it wasn't their fault this had happened in the first place. She swallowed nervously and nodded before softly replying, "I see. Thank you."

Slowly, the female pushed herself up off the bed and began descending down the stairs. Even though she had never been out of the room prior to now, her feet seemed to know where to guide her. Soon, she entered a massive dining room where - sure enough - all of the other members had appeared to be patiently sitting and waiting.

"Have a seat," Xanxus offered, inwardly smirking as he watched Isabella comply rather than go against the offer. "Everyone. We finally have our Cloud Guardian. Because of Isabella joining us, we can start to make our moves soon." Before anyone could ask on clarification, the leader looked over to Isabella, "Your weapons have been hidden away. I will give those back once you leave with Squalo and - "

Upon hearing his own name, the silver-haired swordsman's eyes widened. He looked immediately over to Xanxus and held his unarmed hand up, "Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold the fuck on. Did you just say she's going with me?!"

"Did I stutter?" Xanxus merely replied, causing Squalo to clench his fist.

"You fucking kidding?! I don't need her fucking help! I can find the little brat on my own, I'm sure!"

"I'm not doubting your skills, Squalo. However, she can probably help ... slow him down if it comes down to that."

Squalo opened his mouth again, trying to figure a way to argue against this. But when nothing came to his mind, he nodded and let out an annoyed growl. "Fine. Whatever. Stay outta my way, bitch."

Were it not for the fact Isabella had been focusing more on the food in front of her and eating to make up for not having been able to do so over the past few days, she would have verbally retorted. This didn't completely stop her, however, as she raised her left middle finger and flipped Squalo off. "Shove it, pretty boy," she muttered after swallowing bites of a sandwich.

"The fuck did you say, you little - ?!"

An irritated glare from Xanxus was all the right-hand man needed in order to go silent. The expression gave away he was doing so in a very reluctant manner but was still obeying all the same.

"I will fill you in on the details later. For today, regain your strength and rest, Isabella."

 _Don't need to tell me twice,_ Isabella thought, merely nodding instead of voicing her thoughts. By the time she finished her fourth sandwich, Isabella had satisfied herself for now. She pushed herself up once more before quietly turning around and leaving, entering her room once more.

Her onyx eyes noticed one thing upon walking into her room; the sheets on her bed had been cleaned. Any stains or hints of blood from the torture Bel had inflicted upon her were long gone, it seemed. The only way anyone would know what had happened were if they saw or knew what happened - namely Marmon and probably Xanxus, if anyone noticed her hand twitched every few moments, or if anyone caught sight of the scars in their respective locations.

Either no one had noticed or cared which was fine with Isabella for now. Both mentally and physically, she was exhausted. Perhaps worse than that, however, she was frustrated at herself.

And it showed as she clenched her left fist and punched one of the pillows.

"Damnit!" she hissed, "Damn them all! I didn't want this!"

For the first time in years, Isabella cried tears of frustration. All of the trauma, after effects of pain, and several other factors all kicked in. Soon, Isabella cried herself to sleep with her face buried into the same pillow she'd punched.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**

Although Isabella had muffled her screams and sobs, they had still been heard by the keen ears of Belphegor. He had stayed behind her door, opening it ajar enough so he could watch her cry herself to sleep. Only when he was certain she was out did he slip in and, for a few moments, stand beside her. After some mental contemplation and staring down at the female, he nodded - more to himself than anyone - before deciding to go through with the prank he'd thought of.

Lowering his hands, he gently pulled the covers up and slid underneath them, joining Isabella and effectively sleeping with her.

It would be obvious to the two that they'd moved around quite a bit in their slumber. Isabella had subconsciously turned to face Bel while the blonde had ended up burying his head against a shoulder.

As if on cue, both woke seconds apart from one another. Even if barely, Isabella was the first to open her eyes, which soon narrowed as Belphegor came into view.

"Awwww," he replied in a mocking tone, "No typical greeting? Like .. hello? Morning? Nothing like that?"

"What are you doing in _my_ bed?" she quipped, seeming to ignore the teasing.

Bel elicited another fake sigh of disappointment. "Maaaaan. You need to let loose sometimes. However, since you did ask, I can amuse you. It's pretty easy, really. I heard you last night and I figured maybe you could use some company. Besides, this is a very comfy bed and your shoulders aren't too bad of a pillow to use."

 _... Great. He heard you. Ugh. Is there anything this brat can't do?!_

Isabella gripped her lip briefly before exhaling gently and nodding. " ... Fine. I'll accept that for now. All the same, I didn't need the company, no."

"No?" Bel repeated, "I dunno. You didn't just _sound_ like you might need some comfort, but you _looked_ it. You know, we aren't all heartless bastards here. Most of us just ... act the part, as it were. You don't _have_ to take my word for it, of course. But ... " He gave a casual shrug. "That's fine. I won't hold it against you. Quite frankly, even I wouldn't trust myself if I were you."

A sly grin crossed his face as Isabella looked more irritated at him than amused.

" ... Well, you got your wish. You joined me in my bed so now can you head out?"

"Geez. So pushy. That's okay, I kinda like it~ Alright, alright. I'm going. Someone should be waiting downstairs to let you in on the mission. Enjoy~" Slipping out of the bed, Bel raised his right hand and gave Isabella a wave as he exited.

After the blonde-haired assassin left, Isabella took a moment to sit on her bed and think on all that had happened so far.

 _Was it the right thing to do? Join this ... group?_

She realized it didn't matter at this point. Still, she supposed she wanted to justify the decision she'd ended up making. In the end, there was one major disadvantage about being a freelancer; she didn't have a boss. As such, she had no one to go back to. Her family had been dead for years so that was out of the question.

So the obvious answer was yes ... wasn't it?

Deep down, some portion of Isabella's mind thought 'no' instead.

Her head shook as she stood up and decided not to dwell on the thoughts anymore. Everything that had happened had done so and there was no going back, really.

She barely took three steps out of the room before finding Squalo leaning against a wall, with Marmon looking as annoyed and floating beside the silver-haired swordsman.

"So," Squalo started, making a 'come on' gesture with his right index and middle fingers, "We figured 'downstairs' was a tad too vague and decided to rendezvous with you instead. You're probably hungry so we'll talk in the dining room."

It was clear that even if she hadn't been, they had no intentions on changing the destination just because she didn't feel like heading to said room.

Thankfully, that didn't seem to be an issue as soon, the three entered. Isabella would see a similar display like she had last night; food had already been made and set out. "This about the mission, I'm guessing?" she asked, grabbing a plate and beginning to place food on top of it.

"Yeah, it is," Squalo muttered. "I know. Before you say anything, yes. Xanxus _was_ supposed to relay everything. Instead, he told me to do that. Marmon's got something for ya when I finish talking."

"I still don't like it," Marmon whined, only to be shot a glare from Squalo.

"Come the hell on! She can't keep wearing that _exact_ same outfit every fucking day! Xanxus is right about that much. Besides, she can probably find something to help her look ... not-so-suspicious for the mission."

Hearing that Squalo wasn't about to change his mind, Marmon sighed before lowering himself towards the table and setting a credit card beside Isabella's plate. "Don't spend everything on the damn thing. Lucky for you, the others all agreed with the Boss's logic so I have to give this to you. Slide it under the upstairs third door on the right when you return. With this, I'm done here."

As such, he floated out of the dining room, though not before letting out an irritated huff.

"Fucking hell. Greedy little bastard, I swear. Ugh. Okay, now that he's done his part, my turn." Reaching down, Squalo produced a picture of a young male, looking about sixteen or so. He had a very Aryan appearance, having blonde hair much like Bel. Unlike the sadomasocist, however, he had very easy to notice blue eyes.

"He has some special items that we need to obtain. Rings, to be exact. They repersent all of the seven Flames of the Sky. Whichever family has them all is in charge of the Vongola. We've gathered information and have found out he should be in this area within a few days, a week at most. I'm gonna keep an ear and eye out to give you an exact time, place, and day. Until then, make fucking sure your hand stays in ... decent shape. I'll distract him up close while you snipe him. Boss said his condition doesn't matter, though incapacitating would be preferred over outright killing him. Got it?"

By the time he had finished, Isabella had finished most of her meal. She had stared silently down at the picture during the entire time. When he finished, she allowed a smirk to cross her face. "I didn't think a group of professional assassins would be having so much trouble with a bunch of kids. Hell, teenagers even. This is kinda sad to see."

"Okay! That's fucking it!" Without anymore warning, Squalo reached down and gripped tightly onto Isabella's shoulder. While maintaining his hold, he slammed her back into the wall, glaring angrily into her black eyes. "Listen up and listen good, you little bitch! I'm not happy about doing this goddamn mission with you either! But I'm not gonna tolerate insults towards me or the Boss! You fucking understand me?!"

Isabella chuckled before nodding, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, pretty boy. I wasn't _insulting_ anyone so don't get your panties in a bunch, okay? I was merely pointing out an observation. Now seriously, chill the fuck out and let me resume my meal."

"Tch," Squalo merely retorted, leaving it at that as he let go and allowed Isabella to sit back down and eat. "I still think it's a mistake but Boss has said you can go to any store nearby for clothes ... alone. I fucking swear though, if you just run off with the ... no. You know what? Fuck what he says. I'm not gonna take all the blame if you _do_ just bail and betray us. So ... "

Isabella raised an eyebrow, wondering on where he was going with the unfinished sentence. She didn't have to wait long, as he soon let out a loud, shrill whistle.

Seconds later, Belphegor promptly arrived, as if he were a properly trained and overly hyper puppy. "Yes?" he asked in a sing-song, grinning at the sight of both Squalo and Isabella.

"Oi, fucking escort her to the mall trip. I'm not taking the risk or fall if some bullshit goes down."

The grin on Bel's face looked as if he had just received the best Christmas or birthday present ever. "Mmmm, with pleasure. But curious; you could do that yourself. So why not?"

Squalo groaned before nodding towards his bladed arm, "You fucking kidding?! You know how much bullshit I'd get for this?!"

Bel snickered, hinting that he'd known the answer. He just wanted to hear it from Squalo himself.

"You little prick," Squalo muttered, sighing as he took a breath to try to calm himself down. "Alright. Since you're fine with that, you take my spot. Watch her from here on out, make sure she doesn't try anything stupid. I'm gonna start scouting around for our Aryan brat and get more information on him." He turned his head around, looking now at a very annoyed Isabella.

"Once you're done, you can leave. Like Marmon said, don't spend everything on that but _do_ get more shit for yourself. Clothes only though, since we do have your weapons hidden away and whatnot. You'll get them when we're ready to head out. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I fucking hear ya," Isabella replied, inwardly sighing and groaning as Belphegor sat beside her while Squalo vanished out of sight.

"You know, you don't have to rush if you don't wanna," Bel added.

"I didn't," Isabella muttered, slowly standing up to her feet, "I was basically done when you entered. So ... I do know of a few places nearby. Let's go ... "

 _I guess. God-fucking-damnit. Why him of all people?!_

When Isabella heard the tell-tale sounds of Belphegor following close behind her, she began walking towards the front door. Soon, the two left the Varia base and entered the streets of Italy.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XIII**

Bel and Isabella had been walking for a few blocks by now. Neither had spoken and Bel gazed at her, as if expecting the female to speak up. So when she kept being annoyed, Bel sighed.

"Awwwww," he whined, "Come onnnnnn! Gimme a bone! Don't just be silent with me though! Ask me something! Oh! Oh! Alternatively, I can ask [i]you[/i] questions if you don't mind."

Isabella felt her hand twitch slightly as Bel uttered the part about being given a bone.

 _Tch. You're a shitty liar; I know what you really meant._

Still, there was no point in fueling him on either. Simultaneously, would it be good for her to deny his request? That honestly depended on one's point of view as to what the definition of 'good' was. For Isabella's sakes and sanity, the obvious was an obvious 'yes'. However, she knew it was probably best to heed Squalo's advice and keep her hands in decent shape.

Ergo even though she didn't _want_ to, she would play along. For now.

"Fiiiiine. Alright, alright. Ask away."

A smirk immediately spread over Belphegor's face. As quickly as she'd seen this, Isabella felt her heart sink and regret fill her. Ah well. Too late to take it back now.

"Thank you. Now ... hmmm. Let's start off simple and easy. Birthday?"

 _Good. He really did mean simple and easy._ It was a simple saving grace, but still one nonetheless. "May 17th," she quickly replied. There was no point in hiding it. If anything, that would have been found out somehow, with or without her consent. So it seemed smarter to just reveal that now.

"So that makes you a ... ? What sign?"

Isabella couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Was he trying to play match maker or something? It almost felt like it. Nah. He was just messing with her, more likely than not.

 _Seriously, don't forget who he is. He doesn't give a fuck about you._

"A Taurus."

Bel smirked and lightly chuckled, "I knew it! We're compatible~"

" ... Liar ... " Isabella muttered.

"Nope. Dead serious, actually. December 22nd. Capricorns and Tauruses are very compatible."

"I didn't think you were into stuff like Zodiac signs."

"I'm not," Bel replied honestly, "But Marmsy was - is - a Psychic. So these sorts of things come naturally to him. I've picked up on a few things by being around him."

Seeing as the verbal retort game of sorts wasn't going anywhere, Isabella gave up on it. They were both rather evenly matched, it appeared.

"Okay," Isabella declared after another slight pause had hovered over them, "So ... your age? How many years old - or young, rather?" It had been something she'd been curious about for a while now. Despite trying to convince herself it was solely for professional knowledge, part of her couldn't lie. He was rather handsome despite his mannerisms.

"Sixteen~" he replied, his grin widening as Isabella decided to play his game of Twenty Questions with him.

Her mouth opened as she initially prepared to call him out as a liar once more. But then, she remembered his more 'intimate' actions and closed it. "Explains a lot about you," she merely murmured under her breath.

"What can I say? You only live once? What's the point in wasting your life if you don't have fun with it, hmm?"

" ... Fair enough. About the one life part, at least." Isabella wouldn't admit out loud he was also technically correct on life being wasted if one didn't have fun. Thinking back on it, when _had_ Isabella last had fun?

Years ago, far too many of them for that matter. It was .. depressing to realize that she'd probably wasted a good amount of her life living and wanting little more than revenge. That was why she'd taken up killing, after all; to try to avenge her parents. But really, was there a point to it when all was said and done?

She didn't know. And it made her pissed to think further on it.

"Hmm? Something on your mind?" Bel asked, having noted Isabella's pensive expression.

"How can't there be?" she quipped, "I'm with a group I never really intended on joining and trying to adapt to that. There's almost always going to be at _least_ one thing on my mind."

"I hope - for your sake then - that you're not going to try anything stupid. Because you're fun to be around. I wouldn't wanna lose you because you're hasty also."

 _"Liar ... "_

As much as Isabella wanted to say that out loud, she took a peek out of the corner of her eyes and quickly recalled Bel always had his eyes concealed. Thus, getting a read from his facial expression was out of the question. His voice, however, had betrayed him slightly; enough to hint he may be at least somewhat serious.

 _... Interesting. Noted. Perhaps that can be used later?_

While it wasn't Isabella's preference - to use the more 'sultry' methods - it may be able to work with her. He was definitely at the perfect age and easy to manipulate in that aspect. Either way, it was certainly something to note.

"I make no promises," she finally replied. "Or rather, I won't promise anything on the off chance I don't go through with keeping my word. Unless you were also coerced into Varia, you _can't_ understand why this is frustrating for me. So don't say you can relate, please? I hate people who try to insist they do despite having never been in the exact same situation."

Even with his blonde bangs covering his eyes, Isabella could almost swear she felt him glaring at her. Had that response actually _angered_ him? If so, had he really been that honest about wanting her to be okay?

" ... Fine ... " he merely answered back.

Any awkward silence that had been hovering over the two was interrupted as the pair of assassins noted a nearby department store coming into view.

"Good~" Bel mused, "I _am_ coming in with you to the dressing rooms, for the record. This not up for negotiation."

"Fuck that! You are _not_ doing such a thing!"

"Sure I am. What if you have any concealed weapons I missed? I can always do a full cavity here if you'd prefer~"

" ... Tch ... " Isabella scoffed as she broke eye contact, deciding not to push the argument any further. Because, no, she most certainly did _not_ want that. So Bel won that much .. for now, anyway.

The silent surrender was enough to satisfy Bel. The two walked inside, with the younger Varia member wearing an almost Chesire Cat-like smirk on his face while Isabella had the most annoyed frown on her face. They looked very much like one of those drama masks; one half wearing a happier expression, one adorned with a grim or upset look.

"Well then," Isabella muttered - more to herself than Bel, "We may as well get the most embarrassing things out of the way first." After sneaking a quick glance upward so she knew where to go, she began heading for the lingerie section with her hyper escort in tow.


End file.
